BEIRUT: After a 2009 parliamentary election heralded a success by domestic and international observers alike, the new government faces tough decisions regarding Lebanon’s next big vote – the municipal elections slated for May 2010. With representatives from Lebanon’s 945 municipalities to be chosen, the local vote represents a logistical challenge for Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud, who told The Daily Star security would be a key focus point in next year’s poll. “Security was an issue in the parliamentary elections and I believe we gave the best elections ever in terms of security,” he said. “Security is linked to politics and as long as we have a participatory government we will be able to deal with issues in a better way.” 

The municipal elections traditionally attract greater voter numbers than parliamentary votes, given that no seats are reserved for members of any confession. Since people don’t vote along confessional lines, a municipal ballot is seen by many to be more democratic. 

“We saw in 2004 that people are interested in these elections,” said Yara Nassar, executive director of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE). “People living here feel more implicated by what happens in their municipalities.” 

LADE is hoping to see a number of reforms to electoral law in time for the municipal vote, including the implementation of proportional representation (PR), and pre-printed ballot papers. 

Under the current majoritarian system, the candidate with the most votes of any list wins, disempowering the loser irrespective of much support he or she received. PR voting would, according to LADE’s Program Manager Julia Bou Karroum, make for a more democratic process. 

“Having the proportional system can help to have more candidates who are keen for reform and have them in power [for reasons] other than their religion,” she said. 

“People will vote on programs rather than their knowledge of candidates. It will enhance the cooperative work between people and parties in their local communities.” 

Baroud said the Interior Ministry has already voiced its support for PR voting, as well as pre-printed ballot papers and a quota for female election candidates. 

“This is part of the ministry’s roadmap. I have made it clear that municipalities need to be directly voted for by the people … at least in large cities,” he said. “This is how I see things.” Baroud added that PR voting would make the vote “a more participatory process” but stressed that it was the government that had ultimate say on any alterations to electoral law. 

“This cannot be only the ministry’s recommendation, it should be widely discussed and this is good timing. The ministerial statement will reflect strategic choices that the government will be taking in terms of municipal elections,” he said. 

Bou Karroum urged the government to adopt the proposed change to the voting system and approve the sample pre-printed ballot papers LADE has produced. 

“From our point of view it is so easy to do,” she said. “It’s a way to add to the democracy process. We have to start somewhere. It can be applied easily and have a big benefit. It is not acceptable that in 2010 we don’t have a pre-printed ballot in our system.” 

Baroud stressed the importance of municipal governance in Lebanon as they represented the chance for local administrations to govern their own affairs. 

“Municipalities have played a major role in the development of democracy during the last 10 or 11 years,” he said. “We can do much more than we have already have done but don’t forget that municipalities are the only expression of decentralization in Lebanon.” 

Baroud added that it was too early to say for sure how the elections will be practically conducted and monitored. 

“I would be very happy to hold municipal elections in one day but we lack police officers and civil servants and it would be a challenge for us,” he said. “This is not something I have totally decided.” 

He added that international observers were less likely to be involved this time around, as overseas interest in municipal elections would naturally be smaller. 

“We will have domestic observers for sure, based on the criteria we have fixed in the law,” said Baroud. 

However the municipal elections are conducted, they represent an opportunity for Lebanese to decide on locally important issues, in a manner that looks past the confessionalism typifying the country’s central government. 

“Municipalities are not places to have political competition,” said Bou Karroum, rather, “they are places to have development.”